Happy Birthday Andrea

Meet Vellichor - Andrea Mowry's latest pattern.

Photos ©Andrea Mowry

Vellichor (n): the strange wistfulness of used bookshops.  

I have been wearing this sweet sweater while discovering all of the amazing used bookshops in Portland, ME. This cropped tee is perfect for layering through all the seasons! I used a cotton/wool blend for a summer version and switched to a 100% wool yarn for a warmer crop. The stitch pattern is just engaging enough so that you don’t want to set it down!

Go through Andrea's amazing patterns and don't wait. She has a special going on.

It’s my birthday week which means it’s time for my biggest sale of the year!! Please enjoy 30% off of Vellichor and ALL of my other self-published patterns with the coupon code LEO through 8/7/19 at midnight EST! 

The Knitters' Fair is coming fast and I need to finish my show sweater. It's been bothering me so I picked it up last night. I thought I was a lot further.

The pattern is Guthrie (purchased on Ravelry) and I am knitting with Primrose Vintage DK and Hedgehog Merino DK.

Beth has The Great British Baking Show on and it's time for me to knit a few rows.  Then bed. Tomorrow is going to be busy. I will get all the new Rowan on the website first thing. It's a big day!!!

Another Weekender

Mr. Canada Post dropped off a box from Lynda this morning. We have another Weekender. This time we used Tahki Donegal Tweed. The sweater is the second size and took 5 skeins. It fits Lynn perfectly. Now she has three Weekenders - the one she knit and the two in the store.

This drop shoulder sweater is my most favorite addition to my handmade wardrobe! When Brooklyn Tweed came out with their line of marls for Shelter, I knew I needed a marled sweater. I combined my favorite attributes - texture, faux seams, drop shoulder, and some positive ease to create this versatile, flattering sweater! No matter your body type, it is perfect for wearing to the office or out on your weekend hike in the woods. I’ve already knit a second version, leaving off the sleeves so I can wear it in warmer weather or layered over a long sleeve tee!

This sweater is very easy to knit. The only tricky part is the tubular cast on and bind off. They aren't going to make or break your finished sweater. Your sweater will look great with any cast on and cast off.

Many knitters question which size to make for themselves. Andrea designed the sweater with 10" of positive ease. For many people that is too big. Andrea is okay with that. She says

To pick your best size, measure your full bust and add your desired ease, then pick the finished bust circumference closest to that number.

I suggest you measure a sweater or sweatshirt that fits you well. Pick the finished measurement of the Weekender that is closest to that number.

The Mode at Rowan wall is almost finished. We need to put out a few more colours of Alpaca Classic on Thursday morning (when the new colours launch) and straighten the shelves.

Feed Me. I didn't get my phone out quick enough - her head was resting on the bench. We were having ice cream and Lucy loves ice cream. It is hilarious watching her eat it. We set the bowl down and she gently laps it up. It takes a while. Roko would have it done in one second and Lucy can take two minutes. She likes to savour her food. She got that trait from my mom. She was the slowest eater ever! It's okay. We would tell her that to her face - I'm not talking out of school😘

Mode at Rowan

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MODE brings quality and timeless design to the forefront and provides you with stylish hand knitwear through this season and beyond.

Lisa Hoffman will be the guest speaker at this years Knitters' Fair.

Lisa Hoffman, knitwear designer and knitting teacher, lives in New York City with her husband, Andrew. She has three grown children living near and far. Her recent book Faerie Knitting, co-authored with her cousin novelist Alice Hoffman, has been #1 on Amazon.com for knitting. The book launched with a multi-city tour during which they enjoying meeting knitters, writers, readers, and fans of both knitting and fairy tales. Lisa Hoffman's designs have been published in Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits and Knitwear Magazines. She has designed projects for companies such as Artyarns, Be Sweet, Blue Sky Alpaca, Long Island Livestock, String, Tahki Stacy Charles and Vijay Fibers. She has projects published in books including Alice Hoffman's Survival Lessons, Vogue Knitting: Mittens and Gloves, Iris Schreier's One + One series, and 60 Quick Baby Blankets, among others. She has original patterns for sale on her Ravelry.com site Lisa Hoffman Knitting. She is currently the manager of String, a yarn shop is New York City, and teaches private and group knitting classes.

Lisa will also be teaching a workshop on Sunday afternoon. You can find more information about the Knitters' Fair on the K-W Knitters' Guild website.

I had my alarm set for 6am this morning because I needed to go and have blood work done. Nothing serious. My iron is low so we're watching it. The doctor wanted to check a few other things so I needed to fast. I wanted to be a the lab at 7am when they opened. I didn't make it until 7:15 and sat for over an hour. Thankfully I packed knitting. 

Today's Public Service Announcement - do not knit while you are tired. I was working away on the Perfect Blend MKAL after dinner and messed something up on a section of garter stitch. Oh my goodness. Garter stitch. My stitch count is off. I have no clue what I did. I don't know when the last time I counted my stitches because the last section worked out perfectly. 😢😢I put it back in my bag and will look at it tomorrow. Surprisingly I didn't say any bad words. I think it's bed time.

Dawn

I spent most of today knitting and finished my Big Wool scarf. The name of the scarf is Dawn and I used 8 balls of Big Wool. The pattern asks for 7 balls and you are holding two strands together on 12mm needles. I decided it was a lot easier to use one extra ball rather than dividing the last ball in half.

Our back garden is very colourful.

Walking Miss Lucy. Dad puts a leash on her but he doesn't hold onto her. If she won't listen to him, he turns around and heads home. If she can't see him she gets very upset and goes running.

Then a rest.

Big Brother is taping and it's time to work on Perfect Blend. I can get a few more rows finished tonight.

Sewing in Ends

I made it to the third clue on Perfect Blend.

There hasn't been a lot of knitting this week. I've been clicking away on my keyboard but that is going to change tomorrow. I plan on knitting all afternoon.

Yes, there are a lot of ends. Thankfully Lynn is really good at sewing them in 😘

Today was spent adding books to the website. I want to be ready for August 1 when the Rowan arrives.

I have a scarf from this book that is 3/4 finished. It's been on hold to work on other projects but it's time to finish it for the launch. Lynn is sewing in my ends.

Double strand Big Wool. Talk about a weekend project.

There are 2 more books that won't be on the website. These will be free with the purchase of the yarn while supplies last.

Lynn and I did some straightening today and were playing with the Freia Shawl Ball.

A few years ago Alex knit Stripe Study for us using two Shawl Balls and one skein of tosh merino light. I love how the striping worked out. This is still one of my favourite shawls.

Obsessed

Thank you Diana. The shawl looks amazing. When I saw the green colour I wanted a leaf pattern so we went to our old faithful Espe (pattern purchased on Ravelry). We used two full skeins of Donegal Cottage Tweed Sock and the shawl is big. If you want a smaller shawl you can go down needle size (ours is knit on a 5mm which makes it light and airy). You can also stop knitting when you are happy with the size - the pattern is super easy to adjust.

There is another order of Donegal Cottage Tweed Sock coming in August with five new colours. I am obsessed with the fuchsia. OBSESSED!

I need to figure out what I am going to make with the fuchsia and orange. What a combination.

Over the past few months I have been making changes to the website. Yesterday Korey was working on something and made changes to my changes. There are new sections on the pull down menus.

This will make searching so much easier. Of course this opened a small can of worms but I think we have worked the new kinks out. I think.

We had a great time visiting with old friends. We spent every summer together from the age of 8 until we were in our late teens. We've all remained friends but it's more messaging and calls rather than getting together in person. Everyone's parents enjoyed chatting again.

POP

Alex is making progress on her POP blanket. It looks amazing.

I was in the store early this morning adding Rowan to the website. Big Wool, Kid Classic and Cashmere Tweed are all used in the new Mode patterns.

Felted Tweed

After the yarn has been added I will start on books.

Ms. UPS brought in three large boxes from Namaste.

We have Edict Project Bags from Della Q.

The updated larger Edict project bag makes an entrance. Our knitting related sayings tease you on the front and then finish on the back. An interior pocket holds small notions. The easy slide drawstring makes opening and closing a snap.

14.5" w x 16.5" h  

100% cotton

Diana finished her current project - I've already left for the day so I'll get pictures tomorrow.

This is her next project. The Leafy Baby Blanket (pattern free on Ravelry) knit in Printed Organic Cotton from Blue Sky Fibers. You need 3 skeins and 5mm needles. Quick, easy and the perfect baby gift.

Now it's time to head out for dinner. It could be a late evening because we will need to watch Big Brother when we get home. I need to know who is evicted. It could change the course of the game.